This application claims the priority of German Patent Document 100 61 038.2, filed Dec. 8, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to an information system for providing explanatory information on functional elements or controls in motor vehicles.
In motor vehicles there are a multiplicity of functional elements and controls which are not all self-explanatory on first sight, despite the presence of pictograms or labels, which are in certain cases abbreviated. Although the operation of these elements is explained both in the written operating instructions and when a user takes possession of a new vehicle, investigations have shown that the user does not retain this information permanently in his memory. In addition, it is difficult to read written operating instructions in particular when driving. A further problem is experienced if the user has not been explicitly familiarized with the operation of the vehicle or the operating instructions are not on hand at that particular moment.
At present, systems are being developed which enable explanations on individual controls to be called up by means of a voice inputting system. The explanations are then read out by means of voice synthesis and can be supported by graphics on a display, depending on the situation.
The problem is that the user is obliged to describe the control with which he is not familiar or his locality verbally in an unambiguous way in order to be able to call up the explanation for that element. It is precisely this which presents problems for some drivers, and under certain circumstances also for the voice recognition system, if, for example, unsuitable requests of the type xe2x80x9csome sort of funny button down there?xe2x80x9d have to be processed.
One way of avoiding this problem can be to place the entire vehicle system in a special explanatory state in response to a certain voice command, for example: xe2x80x9cwhat button is that?xe2x80x9d, to request the user to press the explanatory button once, to select the corresponding command by pushbutton key and to evaluate this information in this respect, to call up the corresponding explanation and play it audibly. The vehicle system is then returned to the normal state.
A further way of avoiding this problem would be to accommodate an additional information pushbutton key in the vehicle which replaces the specific voice command, for example xe2x80x9cwhat key is that?xe2x80x9d. There is thus a saving of at least one voice command. The rest of the sequence would be the same as described above.
Apart from the technical and organizational effort involved, these two solutions can of course be implemented only with electrical controls and only with such controls which are coupled to a bus system. Purely mechanical controls, for example seat adjusters, release levers for the handbrake, engine bonnet openers, or even passive elements such as IR receivers for the lock system, displays, labels, could at most be made accessible by means of an additional sensor element which has to be additionally mounted and networked.
Furthermore, with some users there is the reluctance simply to press once controls with which they are unfamiliar, out of fear that they could trigger some unknown, or even dangerous function. In addition, this system functions virtually only at the driver""s seat, and explanations on functions are not provided at the rear, in the boot or in the engine space.
The invention is based on the object of providing an information system for motor vehicles which when necessary outputs explanatory information on all the functional elements and controls which are of interest in motor vehicles with an unambiguous assignment to the elements.
The solution, according to the invention is based on the use of a computer-supported pointer which can be picked up in the hand. This is, for example, a pin-shaped or pear-shaped element which is shaped in an ergonomically optimum fashion, comes to a point at the front and is provided with a number of pushbutton keys, and if appropriate with a status display.
In the home position, this pointer is plugged into a special holder so that it does not get in the way during normal driving but is always within reach. If the user then requires an explanation on a functional element or control, he picks up the pointer in his hand and points to or gently touches the element to be explained. A locating system determines the position of the tip and/or of a pointing beam of the pointer and transfers it to the information system, for example via a wire-free link. A stored information text is selected and output to the user using suitable algorithms or assignment tables in a vehicle-mounted control and output unit in accordance with the position information received.
The user can then control the outputting of the information using the keys of the pointer.
The solution according to the invention offers the following advantages:
it is easy to learn,
it can be used intuitively,
it functions independently of the user,
the calling up of the explanations is independent of voice,
it functions principally in all vehicle elements (active, passive, electrical, mechanical) to be explained,
it functions all around the vehicle depending on the locating system,
it can also be used interactively as a Help function with known operating systems in the vehicles of the Applicant, or else in similar systems,
it provides the user with the certainty that a dangerous function is not triggered in error,
it stimulates the user""s curiosity in relation to the operation of the vehicle thanks to the possibility of spontaneous exploration,
owing to the successful uses, it leads to a positive identification with the information system and
it can relieve sales personnel, service personnel and Trade Fair personnel of work in terms of the presentation of the vehicle.